What is a “Hot Pants” pick? Quite simply, it’s a book that all four reviewers on this site believe is worthy of your time. It may or may not be one of our favorite books, but it’s that rare breed of comic that struck all four of us, with our different tastes, as a good read. Local is our latest “Hot Pants” pick.
We can admit it: most slice-of-life comics are self-indulgent snoozers. Maybe that’s why Brian Wood’s Local is such a breath of fresh air. At the halfway point in its 12-issue run, it’s already proven to be one of the best miniseries of the year, each issue a done-in-one tale of the flighty Megan McKennan and the cities life takes her to. Sometimes she headlines the stories, sometimes, like Will Eisner’s Spirit, she slips into the background as someone else’s story takes the spotlight. She’s definitely the series’ anchor, though, and since each issue takes place a year from the last, by series’ end she’ll be pushing 30 and we’ll likely be looking at a very different Megan. Half the cool of Local is the sheer atmosphere of the cities themselves, real-world-referenced and rendered with inky, lived-in confidence by artist Ryan Kelly. The other half’s the formidable structure of Wood’s stories. The pacing can be deceptively leisurely, but the focus is tight, whether it’s on Megan struggling with an OCD roommate in Brooklyn or an internationally successful band coming home to Richmond, VA to break up. Put it this way: you might not have been everywhere Megan has, but the universality of themes and emotions to her stories will absolutely draw you into her world.
Randy Lander posted a full review of issue #6. Read it here.
Brian Wood keeps a blog for the series here.
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I really, truly love this series. And anyone out there who is digging it and wishing for more should check out Demo from AIT/Planet Lar by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan. It’s very different, but it shares some of the same general approaches as Local.
In addition to great self-contained stories with an over-arcing character in each issue, the book is just well put together all around. The issue ends with Wood and Kelly both talking about their experience putting together that particular issue and a soundtrack, and that’s pretty cool. In these “wait for the trade” days, each issue of Local is a perfect art object unto itself as well.
Oh, and those covers by Ryan Kelly are amazing. My favorite is probably the one for issue number three, but they’re all great.
11 Sep 2006 at 1:25 am
QuoteNo one does self-contained, single-issue stories better than Brian Wood right now. NO ONE.
11 Sep 2006 at 7:45 pm
QuoteI picked up two issues of Local yesterday and really enjoyed them. Thanks for the recommendation! Good stuff in there.
12 Sep 2006 at 7:19 am
QuoteKelly is great. Love to see him draw an arc on Queen and County someday.
12 Sep 2006 at 3:23 pm
QuoteI also love this series. It is SO GREAT to see that some writers actually have the talent to write a good single issue story. Most writers DON’T, but claim that they choose not to do so.
13 Sep 2006 at 4:18 pm
QuoteWhat about Warren Ellis; Fell…those are some damn good single issue stories….surprised you guys didn’t have that as a hot pick…who doesn’t like it?
16 Mar 2007 at 12:30 am
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